Mocs Post PRs at NCAA Region Championships

Friday, November 15

Tallahassee, Fla.

Chattanooga

NCAA South Region Championships

Men's 10K - HTML Men's 10K - PDF Women's 6K - HTML Women's 6K - PDF

11/15/2019 1:49:00 PM | Cross Country & Track & Field

Men's 10K Results Men's 10K Results (html)Women's 6K Results Women's 6K Results (html)

By: Anne Wehunt

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- Eight University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country runners posted improved times in their respective races Friday morning in the NCAA South Region Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.

"I'm amazed at the focus of these kids in the last 12 days," Chattanooga head coach Andy Meyer said. "The character of the kids showed up today."

The women finished 20^th with a score of 573. At the 2200-meter mark, the Mocs were 24^th but pushed on and continued to climb throughout the race and finished ahead of ETSU by three spots.

"The girls raced really well today," Meyer said, "Best of the year. Conditions were almost perfect. Drizzle and 45 degrees.

Top runner Makenzie Jones improved by more than 20 spots from her start to finish 54^th for the Mocs with a time of 21:26.0, besting her previous top time set last season at the region championships.

Freshman Lesley Green has run a strong rookie campaign and was the second Chattanooga runner across the line. She posted a time of 22:04.0, shaving more than 35 seconds off the time she posted earlier this season at the Berry Invitational.

Hannah Caldwell and Abby Bateman closed out their collegiate cross country careers with personal best times at championship distance Friday morning. Hannah finished with a time of 22:53.6 and was the Mocs' third scoring runner. She edged out the time she set at the 2017 region meet.

Abby, a converted cross country runner has steadily improved at the longer distance and posted her best collegiate time at 10-kilometers at the morning meet.

"Hannah and Abby could not have finished their careers out in any better fashion," Meyer said of his seniors. "They will be missed and we are very proud of them."

Sophia Neglia just missed her PR by three seconds and scored for the Mocs with a time of 23:22.7. Ashlynd Broling with a PR time of 23:40.1, was the fifth UTC runner to cross the line. Freshman Mattie Parker edged her best time set earlier this season at the Berry Invitational.

"The girls were focused after a disappointing conference race these last 12 days," Meyer said. "They all ran today the way we knew they were capable of running. All the girls kept pacing in mind and proceeded to catch opposition throughout the entirety of the race.

"With the race momentum generated today and five of the top six coming back, we are excited about next year!"

The men finished maintained their position throughout the race, finishing 21^st overall with a score of 620, just behind Southern Conference foe Mercer.

Ryan Gebelein and Jonathan Boyd each beat out their previous top 10-kilometer times while the remaining four were running their first-ever championship distance.

"The guys ran really well today," Meyer said. "Ryan G. ended his career with a PR and will be sorely missed."

Gebelein covered the course in a time of 33:07.1, beating out his time posted at the region race in 2017 by 27.1 seconds. Jake was the second Chattanooga runner across the line in a time of 33:15.1 in his first 10K race.

Sophomore Jonathan Boyd, who had an outstanding freshman campaign, improved in his second year. He topped his 2018 region time by nearly 90 seconds at 33:38.8.

Also in their first 10K race were Conner Duncan, Ryan Phillips and Chandler Porter. Duncan was fourth for the Mocs with a time of 33:56.6 followed by Phillips at 35:00.9. Porter rounded out the team with a time of 37:43.3

"Jake, Jonathan, Conner, Ryan Phillips all were able to accelerate throughout the race and have career best races," Meyer said. "We are really proud of the focus the guys team maintained all year long. They have met or exceeded expectations this year.

"Ryans leadership will be missed but with everyone else returning, we are going to be looking for an even better year next year."

20^th	Chattanooga	573 (53, 84, 127, 150, 159, (164), (169))
54	Makenzie Jones	21:26.0	Personal Record
86	Lesley Green	22:04.0	Personal Record
136	Hannah Caldwell	22:53.6	Personal Record
163	Sophia Neglia	23:22.7
174	Ashlynd Broling	23:40.1	Personal Record
179	Mattie Parker	23:50.0	Personal Record
184	Abby Bateman	24:10.8	Personal Record

21^st	Chattanooga	620 (108, 114, 122, 130, 146, (155))
112	Ryan Gebelein	33:07.1	Personal Record
118	Jake Etheridge	33:15.1	Personal Record
128	Jonathan Boyd	33:38.8	Personal Record
136	Conner Duncan	33:56.6	Personal Record
154	Ryan Phillips	35:00.9	Personal Record
166	Chandler Porter	37:34.3	Personal Record